CLERMONT – Lake County Commissioner Sean Parks recently presented 13-year-old triathlete Lachlan Hovius, of Groveland, with four first place trophies during the AAA Youth Triathlon & Cycling Race at Lake Louisa State Park in Clermont.

The Lake County teen began racing triathlons in California when he was just 5 years old. He is five-time youth state champion for Florida and is ranked in the top three nationwide for triathlon.

“He has never lost a youth age group race,” said his father, John Hovius, who runs AAA Tri Camp in Groveland. “He is also the youngest athlete to race pro class in the USA at only 13 years old. Lance Armstrong did hold that record when he turned pro in triathlon at 15.”

Lachlan has been accepted to race for a French professional triathlon team this summer, and has long-term goals to race in the 2024 Olympics and on the World Cup circuit.

“It’s wonderful to see such amazing talent coming out of Lake County,” said Commissioner Parks. “In particular, South Lake offers a wealth of top-notch facilities such as AAA Tri Camp to train athletes beginning at a young age.”

The AAA Tri Camp is a one-of-a-kind training facility in Groveland which can house 28 athletes and seven coaches. The camp is on over 12 acres of South Lake’s ideal training topography. For more information on AAA Tri Camp, visit www.aaatrirace.com.

The Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) recently named South Lake as a “Runner Friendly Community.” The designation was given to only four communities nationwide last year. According to the RRCA, the winning communities have “an infrastructure that can foster physical activity in a safe environment; a proven track record that organizations and businesses work together to promote running as a healthy exercise and sport; and there are positive relationships between the running community and local government.”

To learn more about why Lake County is the ideal location for sporting events, log on to www.SportsInLakeFL.com or contact a member of the Lake County Economic Development & Tourism team at 352-742-3918.